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N. M. schools to start before Labor Day

By Katina Caraganis , kcaraganis@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
04/09/2013 06:35:41 AM EDT

TOWNSEND -- Students and teachers in the North MIddlesex Regional School District will be starting the 2013-14 school year before Labor Day, according to an announcement made by Superintendent of Schools Joan Landers at Monday night's School Committee meeting.

Students in grades one through 12 will start Aug. 28, and kindergartners will begin Aug. 29, she said.

Landers said she has spent weeks polling staff, parents and students about what changes, if any, they would like to see made to upcoming school calendars, in large part thanks to the amount of snow days the district has seen this school year.

"We think this will be a good option for kids so that way they come in before Labor Day and get some of the orientation and other things out of the way ahead of time," she said. "The transition for these kids after Labor Day will be so much easier. By then, instruction will be in full swing."

Additionally, Landers said, the day before Thanksgiving, normally a day off for students, will be an early-release day and Dec. 23, normally a full day of school, will be a no-school day this year because it is a Monday.

"Because this year it's a Monday, we didn't think it made sense to open up all of the school buildings for one day," she said.

Good Friday is also scheduled as an early-release day. With no snow days, students will be out of school June 13, and with five days, the last day of school will be June 18.

Additionally, the district will schedule professional development for staff during the last week in August.

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A request for proposal for net-metering credits is not available for interested parties, Landers said. Those people interested in receiving the information should email their name, address, and email address to info@nmrsd.org.

All bids for the project are due to the Central Office, 45 Main St., Pepperell, by April 19.

The district has also released an RFP for operation and management of the district's food-service program, currently handled by Chartwells. Proposals will be received by the district until 11 a.m. May 8. A mandatory site visit will be conducted April 18 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at 45 Main Street.

Complete information for the project may be obtained from the district office on or after April 10 or b e-mail request to info@nmrsd.org.

School Committee Chair Susan Robbins asked that all committee members fill out paperwork handed out during Monday night's meeting pertaining to Landers' evaluation to be submitted to her by Wednesday to be prepared. Each committee member has been meeting with Landers individually as they begin the evaluation process, and the public evaluation is April 22 at 7 p.m. at the high school.

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